Ammonium-nitrate metallic explosive and process of making same.



a to the cap and yet be perfectly safe in hanrated with the sensitizing ingredient. The

able to detonate without aid of the oxygen- UNrrEn srAr s PATENT. curios.

FIN SPARRE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGN OR TO THE E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AMMONlUM-NITRATE METALLIC EXPLOSIVE AN-D PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

No. 850,267. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed N0vember28,1906. Serial No. 289,422.

To all whzmt it may concern:

'Be it known that I, FIN SPARRE, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at Wilmington, county of Newcastle, and State of Delaware, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Ammonium-Nitrate Metallic Explosives and Processes of Making Same, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to make more sensitive to the cap so-called safetyexplosives, in which the oxygen-carrier is coated with an'insensitive coating.

Most safety-explosives are so insensitive to ignition that they require excessively strong caps and yet frequently do not detonate completely. This is especially the case where the powder or the oxygen-carrier of the powder is provided with a coating. Powders of the above type are so verysafethat they can be made somewhat more sensitive [in my application filed October 24, 1905, -Seri-al No. 284,152-and then incorporate the last-named mixture with a sensitizing in-v gredient, such as ungelatinized nitrocellulose, the resultant powder consisting of an ammoniunrnitrate metallic composition, a coating ingredient, and a sensitizing ingredient. In carrying out said process the proportions of the several ingredients are preferably as follows: ammonium nitrate, sixty-eight per ture, twelve per cent; ungelatinized nitrocellulose, ten per cent. Another example is as follows: First,incorporate ammoniumnitrate (which may or may not have previously been incorporated with other ingredients) and the coating ingredient, and then incorporate the resultant mixture and nitroglycerin, the resultant powder containing ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin, and the coating ingredient. The proportions of these ingredients are preferdhng and transportation. ably as follows: ammonium nitrate, seventy- The above objects are attained by my improved process of incorporating the ingredients, the principle of my process being first to incorporate the, oxygen-carrier with all the ingredients except the ingredient intended for making the powder more sensitive and providing this mixture with the coating, whereupon the resultant mixture is incorpocoating ingredient, thirteen per cent. The coating mixture that I prefer to use is that set forth as preferable in my said application, as follows: mononitrotoluol, eighty per cent. trinitrotoluol, ten per cent; guncotton, ten per cent. 2

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is I 1. The process of making safety-explosives which consists in incorporating an ammonium-nitrate metallic explosive powder with a coating ingredient and then incorporating the mixture with a sensitizing ingredient substantially as described.

2. The process of making safety-explosives which consists in incorporating an ammonium-nitrate metallic explosive powder with a coating ingredient and then iiicorpcrating the mixture with ungelatinized nitrocellulose substantially as described.

3. The process of making safety-explosives which consists in reparing a solution of guncotton in a li uid nitro compound to form a coating ingre ient, then incorporating a mtrate-of-ammonia metallic explosive powder with the coating ingredient, and then incorporating the mixture with ungelatinized nitrocellulosesubstantially as described.

oxygen-carrier may also be coated first and then incorporated with the other ingredients, although this is not advisable unless the powder is composed of only an oxygen-carrier, a coating, and one or more ingredients, together acting as a sensitizing agent. It will thus be seen that the sensitizing agent, being one.or more ingredients, ought to be carrier.

One example of my new process procuring rny improved explosive is as follows: First, lncorporate ammonium nitrate and aluminium or other metallic ingredient to form the ordinary ammonium-nitrate metallic powder, then incorporate the above mixture with a coating or indurating mixture or body in liquid or gelatinous formsuch, for instance, s a'liquid nitro compound (in which has been dissolved a solid nitro compound) in which is dissolved guncotton, as set forth cent; aluminium, ten per cent; coating mix-' five per cent. nitroglycerin, twelve per cent.

10 described.

- 4. The process of making safety-explosives l a nitrate-of-ammonia metallic explosive pow- Which consists in dissolving a normally solid l der'coated with a coating ingredient, and unnitro compound in a liquid nitro compound, gelatinized nitrocellulose substantially as dethen dissolving guncotton in the solution, scribed.

thus forming a coating ingredient, then in- In testimony of which invention I have icorporating a nitrate-of-amnionia metallic hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on explosive powderwith the coating ingredithis 21st day of November, 1905; ent, and then incorpo i ating the mixture with FIN SPARRE. \ungelatinized nitrocellulose substantially as Witnesses:

M. M. HAMILTON,

5. An explosive composition consisting of THORNLEY B. W001). 

